Teacher's Guide

 

Welcome to our resource guide to Environmental Defense's educational material that can help bring current environmental issues to the classroom. Check out the links below for valuable information and fact sheets, fun activities, lesson plans. and other helpful Web sites.

 

BIODIVERSITY

Composting: Nature's Recycling Program - Easy-to-follow instructions and classroom strategies for building and studying a compost bin.

Endangered Species Act - Q & A

Endangered Species Act - Facts vs. Myths

Deforestation and Old-Growth Forest Facts

Rainforest FAQs

 

CLIMATE

Acid Rain Q & A

Electricity Generation and Pollution - Fact Sheet

Global Warming: Fact vs. Myth

20 Simple Steps to Reduce Global Warming

Global Warming Teacher's Manual
- Companion document from the exhibition "Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast

 

HEALTH

Antibiotic Resistance: Playing Chicken With Essential Drugs - Comprehensive fact sheet about the effects of antibiotic resistance on children, the elderly and the medically vulnerable.

Household Products: The Facts
- Tips on how to minimize the source of toxins and indoor pollutants in your home, such as carbon monoxide, lead, phosphates, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and petroleum.

12 Steps to Healthier Schools
- Helpful information on the Environment and Human Health Web site (www.ehhi.org).

Pesticides and Schools - The Report Pest Control Practices in Connecticut Public Schools is also available on the
www.ehhi.org site.

Scorecard.org
- Environmental Defense's guide to localized pollution information. Type in your zip code to find out sources of toxic chemicals in your community.

 

OCEANS

Coral Reefs

Individual Fishing Quotas Fact Sheet
- How IFQs are good for both fish and fishermen

Marine Protected Areas Fact Sheet - How MPAs can preserve wildlife and endangered habitats while helping to sustain the shipping, tourism and fishing industries

 

ACTIVITIES

Cougar Hunt - Students enact role-playing activities to illustrate issues of survival for a species with limited habitat and resources.

Eco Ethics - Engage in challenging discussions about our relationship and responsibility to our environment. To play, download and print out a set of Dilemma Cards (62Kb pdf file).

Habitat Activities - Includes a scavenger hunt and mapping lessons.

Chico Mendes Sustainable Rainforest Campaign - The rubber tapper, union leader and environmentalist was murdered for opposing the destruction of the Brazilian rain forest. Read about his life, his work and the continuing fight to protect this precious resource.

Understanding Pollution and Animals - Activity to help students visualize pollution that threatens endangered species.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Other Organizations - Addresses and URLs for a variety of environmental and public health organizations, for resources on topics of interest.